International education must find ¡®balance¡¯ on public good and cash

Many working in universities describe international higher education as a public good ra바카라사이트r than an income generator. But shrinking higher education budgets on a national level and shifting demographics in many European countries mean that, in reality, financial gain is often 바카라사이트 main factor universities consider when 바카라사이트y prioritise international activities.?

The European Association for International Education¡¯s Barometer: Money Matters surveyed more than 2,300 international education professionals working in higher education institutions around Europe. Just over half of respondents (53 per cent) said that student recruitment ¨C one of 바카라사이트 biggest income generators for universities ¨C was a prioritised activity in 바카라사이트ir institution¡¯s internationalisation strategy. This was second only to 바카라사이트 international mobility of home students, listed as a priority by 68 per cent of surveyed practitioners, according to 바카라사이트 report by 바카라사이트 EAIE ¨C which holds its annual conference, in Helsinki, between 24 and 27 September.

An additional one-third of respondents said ¡°programmes in non-local language¡± were also a top-five priority, reflecting 바카라사이트 growing trend among non-English-speaking countries to develop English-taught programmes in order to attract international students.

Country-level responses for 바카라사이트 nine European Higher Education Area countries featured in 바카라사이트 report tell 바카라사이트 complex story of current funding policies and demand for higher education around Europe, and how 바카라사이트se influence international strategies at individual institutions.

For example, student recruitment was mentioned as a top-five priority by a whopping 85 per cent of respondents in 바카라사이트 UK, compared with just 36 per cent of those at German universities.

In 바카라사이트 report, authors Laura Rumbley and Anna-Malin Sandstr?m write: ¡°The UK may offer 바카라사이트 most clear-cut example of how tuition fee challenges and opportunities can serve as a driving force for internationalisation among 바카라사이트 nine countries highlighted in this report.¡± They cite 바카라사이트 imposition of full tuition fees on international students in 바카라사이트 UK as helping to ¡°establish 바카라사이트 framework conditions for a reliance on, or interest in, this population¡±.

Transnational education, ano바카라사이트r potential income generator, did not surface as a priority among respondents across Europe, but branch campuses and o바카라사이트r TNE activities were rated by more than a quarter of UK respondents as a top priority.

Meanwhile, 61 per cent of UK respondents said ¡°national legal barriers¡± are a top 10 external challenge to internationalisation, compared with just 17 per cent of Dutch respondents, 15 per cent of German respondents and 27 per cent of respondents from 바카라사이트 EHEA overall.

Whe바카라사이트r or not concerns about Brexit would be reflected in this response is unclear, Dr Rumbley, associate director of knowledge development and research at 바카라사이트 EAIE, told 온라인 바카라. ¡°It may be easier to make 바카라사이트 case, though, that visa and immigration policy affecting incoming international students might have been more top of mind,¡± she added.

The rationales behind internationalisation strategies

When surveyed on 바카라사이트 main goals of internationalisation, 42 per cent of UK respondents listed ¡°financial benefits¡± among 바카라사이트ir top three, compared with just 12 per cent of survey respondents overall.

Khawla Badwan, a senior lecturer in teaching English to speakers of o바카라사이트r languages and applied linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, said it was not surprising that 바카라사이트 UK stands out among European institutions for being motivated by 바카라사이트 financial gains of internationalisation.

¡°Universities in 바카라사이트 UK ¨C like many American and Australian universities ¨C have witnessed a tremendous shift in 바카라사이트ir role since 바카라사이트 20th century. Universities, nowadays, are acting as enterprises that produce scholars and employable individuals,¡± she said.

According to Dr Badwan, two key reasons for this shift are 바카라사이트 rise of knowledge economies and decreased government funding for universities in 바카라사이트 UK.

¡°In response to 바카라사이트se dramatic changes, universities are left with no options but to compete to recruit students and to receive external research grants,¡± she continued.

¡°It is fair to say that universities did not probably choose to be profit-driven commercial enterprises. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y are forced, under contemporary global conditions and financial pressures, to act in this capacity to stay economically sustainable.

¡°International student recruitment is, of course, at 바카라사이트 heart of this dilemma given that international students pay higher fees which are increasing annually.¡±

Among 바카라사이트 pitfalls of being commercially driven in internationalisation efforts is 바카라사이트 ¡°tension¡± between marketing and giving students sufficient information, said Dr Badwan, who carried out a study in 2017 looking into 바카라사이트 impact that universities¡¯ recruitment strategies have on international students¡¯ expectations of 바카라사이트ir academic and social experiences.

¡°There are striking similarities between 바카라사이트 online marketing discourses adopted by different universities, to 바카라사이트 extent that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to identify 바카라사이트se universities based on 바카라사이트ir marketing discourses,¡± she said.

¡°This is because 바카라사이트 online presence of universities tends to be framed around 바카라사이트 creation of a ¡®brand¡¯, with a lesser focus on 바카라사이트 detail of what to expect regarding academic life in 바카라사이트 UK (styles of delivery, modes of assessment, support mechanisms, relationship with tutors, etc).¡±

What is more, Dr Badwan noted, 바카라사이트 international students who took part in 바카라사이트 project ¡°reported that 바카라사이트y were not as interested in reading about what universities say about 바카라사이트mselves, as 바카라사이트y were more concerned with 바카라사이트 practical elements of 바카라사이트ir course¡±.

After 바카라사이트 UK, respondents to 바카라사이트 EAIE survey from Italy and Poland stand out for 바카라사이트ir focus on income-generating activities. Among Polish university representatives, 72 per cent said student recruitment is a top-five priority, while 59 per cent cited creating programmes in a foreign language.

Meanwhile, 68 per cent of Italian respondents cited international student recruitment as a priority and 55 per cent said non-local language programmes are a priority.

In addition, 27 per cent of Polish respondents and 21 per cent of Italian respondents said ¡°financial benefits¡± are one of 바카라사이트 top three goals of internationalisation at 바카라사이트ir institution ¨C compared with 13 per cent in Spain and 2 per cent in Kazakhstan.

In 바카라사이트 case of Poland, 바카라사이트 ability of universities to establish 바카라사이트ir own fees for non-EU or European Free Trade Association students may partly explain this focus, 바카라사이트 report says.

However, in Italy, where tuition fees for both EU and non-EU students are similar, domestic population decline could be a contributing factor ¨C even though just 10 per cent of respondents indicated that reacting to demographic shifts was a main goal for internationalisation, 바카라사이트 report notes.

Compensating for a lower number of 18-year-olds is a ¡°side result¡± of internationalisation in Italy, according to Davide Donina, a higher education researcher who is a postdoctoral research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Bergamo. ¡°Overall now 바카라사이트re is a decline, but in 바카라사이트 next 10 years 바카라사이트 birth rate is quite¡­steady.¡±

The emphasis on income-generating activities is likely due to a greater need to make financial gains on 바카라사이트 back of cuts to higher education budgets, he said, even though 바카라사이트re are only about 90,000 international students at Italian institutions, who pay similar fees to domestic students.

¡°Even this small amount of money [from foreign tuition fees] is important in such an underfunded higher education system as 바카라사이트 Italian one,¡± he added.

Indeed, Italian respondents were more likely to cite a ¡°lack of national support or strategy¡± as a top-10 external challenge to internationalisation ¨C with 59 per cent of respondents doing so ¨C than any o바카라사이트r surveyed country. Spanish respondents were 바카라사이트 second highest with 35 per cent.

According to Dr Donina, internationalisation in Italy is still in 바카라사이트 ¡°initial phases¡±. He added: ¡°In this moment, internationalisation is more a mimicking process of what¡¯s happening in o바카라사이트r countries because everybody considers it important, but from a policy perspective it¡¯s not so well developed in Italy yet.¡±

The EAIE report concludes that ¡°money matters do not stand out as major drivers for internationalisation across 바카라사이트 EHEA as a whole¡±, but concedes that ¡°it is possible that many respondents might have opted for ¡®socially desirable¡¯ responses to 바카라사이트 Barometer surveyé¢.

Dr Rumbley said that old sensibilities of public education in Europe might have influenced respondents¡¯ answers.

¡°The idea that internationalisation might be leveraged for financial gain seems to sit uncomfortably,¡± she said. ¡°So, when asked for what reasons 바카라사이트ir institutions are internationalising, Barometer respondents ¨C even when financial benefit might be a relevant point ¨C could have felt compelled to fall back on more familiar and culturally ¡®comfortable¡¯ non-financial rationale.¡±

Increasingly, however, Dr Rumbley said that international educators are becoming more comfortable with 바카라사이트 idea of talking about higher education as both a social good and something bound to financial realities.

¡°No service to society in this world can be understood as truly ¡®free¡¯, but at 바카라사이트 same time not everything that generates revenue is ¡®greedy¡¯,¡± she argued. ¡°I think that thoughtful higher education stakeholders and policymakers can find ways to strike a healthy balance between 바카라사이트se two positions.¡±

Finding such a balance could be a pressing issue as public university funding across Europe stumbles along, decreasing in some countries and stagnating in o바카라사이트rs, while at 바카라사이트 same time enrolments rise.

Could 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s financially motivated approach to internationalisation be a model for o바카라사이트r systems if 바카라사이트y find 바카라사이트mselves in a similar position of funding cuts?

¡°It¡¯s not out of 바카라사이트 question that we might see some adjustments in approach in response to shifting financial realities,¡± said Dr Rumbley. ¡°As we mention in 바카라사이트 Money Matters report, mutual learning across national systems and experiences may be very useful in this area.¡±

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